Gateway Bands

[Miss_Bungle1991]

Did anyone discover a band back when you were younger that you turned you on to other styles of music? I remember in 1986 and early 1987 listening to stuff like Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, etc. But I wanted to hear something heavier. Thanks to the godawful Stephen King film, "Maximum Overdrive", I was turned onto AC/DC. Once I got into them (and through reading magazines like Hit Parader, Circus, etc), I was eventually turned onto heavier bands like Metallica, Helloween and Anthrax. Then things just got heavier and crazier from that point on.

Here's a totally raging live version of "Let There Be Rock":

[Ally_B]

To me, I guess the ultimate gateway band was Faith No More. They were the first band I fell in love w/ as a li'l 9 year old, and being as diverse as they were (along w/ other projects the band members were involved w/) threw open the gates to all manner of music, from non-commercial metal to the alternative (what a wonderfully ill-defined term that was) to avant garde.... Basically anything that wasn't from my parents' collection or the stuff in the top 40.

They taught me to love diversity in music, of both sound and theme, that smooth pop could exist alongside crushing heaviness and all sorts of oddity and perhaps most importantly, Mike Patton taught me to sing (and scream)! lol

From the seed of FNM, I've ended up with a rather large and diverse music collection ranging from the gentlest, most fragile pop all the way through to caustic, ear-bleeding noise..... What can I say, variety is the spice of life?!?

It also eventually led to me spending much of my adult life in a progressive metal band.... Think less Dream Theater (puke) and more Opeth (well, they used to be good anyway).

It's funny you mention AC/DC, Laura. Growing up in Australia, I learned to HATE AC/DC at an early age. Unfortunately, I grew to associate them w/ all the wannabe tough kids and later on, all manner of boozy thugs with the IQ of roadkill that made my life miserable at various times. I can appreciate them more now, but I think there's a little part of me that will probably never be able to get past that early trauma and enjoy their music for what it is. Which is kinda hilarious as many foreigners I've met seem to expect that every Australian grows up with AC/DC for breakfast!

[Jill F]

I started at an early age drinking Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, which led to experimenting with smoking Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest in 8th grade.  Before you know it I was tripping on Metallica and Exodus(t).  By the time I was in college, I was snorting up Testament and Cacophony until I was mainlining Sepultura and Napalm Death. LOL

[Miss_Bungle1991]

To me, I guess the ultimate gateway band was Faith No More. They were the first band I fell in love w/ as a li'l 9 year old, and being as diverse as they were (along w/ other projects the band members were involved w/) threw open the gates to all manner of music, from non-commercial metal to the alternative (what a wonderfully ill-defined term that was) to avant garde.... Basically anything that wasn't from my parents' collection or the stuff in the top 40.

They taught me to love diversity in music, of both sound and theme, that smooth pop could exist alongside crushing heaviness and all sorts of oddity and perhaps most importantly, Mike Patton taught me to sing (and scream)! lol

From the seed of FNM, I've ended up with a rather large and diverse music collection ranging from the gentlest, most fragile pop all the way through to caustic, ear-bleeding noise..... What can I say, variety is the spice of life?!?

It also eventually led to me spending much of my adult life in a progressive metal band.... Think less Dream Theater (puke) and more Opeth (well, they used to be good anyway).

It's funny you mention AC/DC, Laura. Growing up in Australia, I learned to HATE AC/DC at an early age. Unfortunately, I grew to associate them w/ all the wannabe tough kids and later on, all manner of boozy thugs with the IQ of roadkill that made my life miserable at various times. I can appreciate them more now, but I think there's a little part of me that will probably never be able to get past that early trauma and enjoy their music for what it is. Which is kinda hilarious as many foreigners I've met seem to expect that every Australian grows up with AC/DC for breakfast!

I think I love you.  That is so awesome that you mentioned Faith No More. I got into them when I was 12. I had such a crush on Mike Patton. (Which just made the GID suck that much more.) I also started with learning how to sing due to his influence. But, during 1991, I was entering into this "If it's not Death Metal/Grindcore, it sucks" phase. Then I discarded Faith No More, Living Colour, Anthrax and a bunch of other stuff. My cassette collection shrank really quick.  Looking back on it, it was pretty stupid. But that's how things go sometimes. Once I heard John Zorn's band, Painkiller, that broke me out of that phase and I began to widen the scope of what I listened to.

That's amusing what you said about AC/DC. I remember once I was getting into heavier bands. I had a lot of douchebags saying stuff to me like: "What? You think you're tough just because you listen to Metal?" I was, like: "What the hell are you idiots talking about? It's just a musical preference, you morons."

[Ally_B]

I started at an early age drinking Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, which led to experimenting with smoking Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest in 8th grade.  Before you know it I was tripping on Metallica and Exodus(t).  By the time I was in college, I was snorting up Testament and Cacophony until I was mainlining Sepultura and Napalm Death. LOL

HAHA, this is great!

I think I love you.  That is so awesome that you mentioned Faith No More. I got into them when I was 12. I had such a crush on Mike Patton. (Which just made the GID suck that much more.) I also started with learning how to sing due to his influence. But, during 1991, I was entering into this "If it's not Death Metal/Grindcore, it sucks" phase. Then I discarded Faith No More, Living Colour, Anthrax and a bunch of other stuff. My cassette collection shrank really quick.  Looking back on it, it was pretty stupid. But that's how things go sometimes. Once I heard John Zorn's band, Painkiller, that broke me out of that phase and I began to widen the scope of what I listened to.

That's amusing what you said about AC/DC. I remember once I was getting into heavier bands. I had a lot of douchebags saying stuff to me like: "What? You think you're tough just because you listen to Metal?" I was, like: "What the hell are you idiots talking about? It's just a musical preference, you morons."

Aww shucks.... lol

I never crushed on Mike, but damn was I disappointed when he cut his hair! He was totally my first musical hero though, and I drove my parents nuts w/ FNM all the way up 'til their break up in '98. I actually had more of a thing for Roddy.... In fact, I'm pretty certain he was the first guy I had an..... "adult" dream about! lol

I didn't get into my "if it's not heavy it sucks" period until I was out of high school. Again, this was because the tough guy douchebags at my high school got into the heavy stuff, so I gave that kind of stuff a wide berth and ended up getting into 60s + 70s stuff, basically raiding the cream of my parents' collection (Beatles, Doors, Queen, Zeppelin, Bowie, etc) instead.... My only concessions to modernity were (w/ FNM), the Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Sonic Youth and Soundgarden.

Finally got the heavy stuff out of high school when a friend showed me Pantera, Fear Factory, Sepultura and (randomly, considering the others) Celtic Frost!

THEN, I got into the "if it's not heavy it sucks" mindset, but I was probably more into black metal than anything else during that period, but there was plenty of space for some thrash, industrial, death + a pinch of grind too!

I'm not sure what broke me out of that cycle, probably had a bit to do w/ the more atmospheric diversions that sprang from black metal + industrial, which lead down the path of Throbbing Gristle, Brighter Death Now, Sopor Aeternus, etc....

Well, that and a chance encounter w/ Depeche Mode's Violator which reminded me of how much I adore some of the 80s synth pop (before anyone jumps in, yes, I know Violator was released in 1990! :p ) of my early childhood!

That's interesting about people saying that to you about listening to metal. Where I grew up, the people who were "into metal" (ie, they weren't really) WERE into it to appear tough! They'd parade around in Cannibal Corpse and Cradle of Filth shirts and blast Pantera + Metallica, but dropped it all as soon as they figured out they weren't "scorin' chicks" that way.... ***holes!

[Miss_Bungle1991]

I started at an early age drinking Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, which led to experimenting with smoking Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest in 8th grade.  Before you know it I was tripping on Metallica and Exodus(t).  By the time I was in college, I was snorting up Testament and Cacophony until I was mainlining Sepultura and Napalm Death. LOL

Classic.

That's interesting about people saying that to you about listening to metal. Where I grew up, the people who were "into metal" (ie, they weren't really) WERE into it to appear tough! They'd parade around in Cannibal Corpse and Cradle of Filth shirts and blast Pantera + Metallica, but dropped it all as soon as they figured out they weren't "scorin' chicks" that way.... ***holes!

That's funny that you say that. That reminds me of when I was in high school and I knew these guys that acted all tough and had the whole cliche metal crap going on with the leather jackets and all that. They thought I was just some nerdy poser, but these schmucks didn't even know about anything other than the old Thrash scene. When I brought up stuff like Napalm Death, Carcass, etc, they didn't even know who they were.  Losers.

Not to mention that they were all dumb as dirt.

[Ally_B]

Classic.

That's funny that you say that. That reminds me of when I was in high school and I knew these guys that acted all tough and had the whole cliche metal crap going on with the leather jackets and all that. They thought I was just some nerdy poser, but these schmucks didn't even know about anything other than the old Thrash scene. When I brought up stuff like Napalm Death, Carcass, etc, they didn't even know who they were.  Losers.

Not to mention that they were all dumb as dirt.

Yep! THOSE guys are the ones I was talking about! lol

[Devlyn]

Yay to any thread that starts with Bon Scott!

To me, I guess the ultimate gateway band was Faith No More. They were the first band I fell in love w/ as a li'l 9 year old, and being as diverse as they were (along w/ other projects the band members were involved w/) threw open the gates to all manner of music, from non-commercial metal to the alternative (what a wonderfully ill-defined term that was) to avant garde.... Basically anything that wasn't from my parents' collection or the stuff in the top 40.

They taught me to love diversity in music, of both sound and theme, that smooth pop could exist alongside crushing heaviness and all sorts of oddity and perhaps most importantly, Mike Patton taught me to sing (and scream)! lol

From the seed of FNM, I've ended up with a rather large and diverse music collection ranging from the gentlest, most fragile pop all the way through to caustic, ear-bleeding noise..... What can I say, variety is the spice of life?!?

It also eventually led to me spending much of my adult life in a progressive metal band.... Think less Dream Theater (puke) and more Opeth (well, they used to be good anyway).

It's funny you mention AC/DC, Laura. Growing up in Australia, I learned to HATE AC/DC at an early age. Unfortunately, I grew to associate them w/ all the wannabe tough kids and later on, all manner of boozy thugs with the IQ of roadkill that made my life miserable at various times. I can appreciate them more now, but I think there's a little part of me that will probably never be able to get past that early trauma and enjoy their music for what it is. Which is kinda hilarious as many foreigners I've met seem to expect that every Australian grows up with AC/DC for breakfast!

Gee, I wonder where we got that idea?

[Ally_B]

Yay to any thread that starts with Bon Scott!

Gee, I wonder where we got that idea?

I had no idea that even existed! lol

Ahhh, Google says it's on the other side of the country, no wonder!

[Devlyn]

Visiting that statue is on my bucket list.

[Ally_B]

Visiting that statue is on my bucket list.

I was in Fremantle/Perth two years ago and managed to not stumble upon it. You should definitely head over there, it's a lovely part of the world.

[Devlyn]

Boston is annexing Australia, you may not notice, but you're slowly drifting this way!

[missymay]

I loved the sound of "blondie" when I heard them, then progressed into punk bands like black flag, Jodie fosters army, dead Kennedys, etc., and from there got into mellow new wave bands like "The Cure", "REM", "The Smiths", "Morrissey", etc. 

These days I'm into alternative, blues, and classic rock...

[Ally_B]

Boston is annexing Australia, you may not notice, but you're slowly drifting this way!

Ooh, does that mean we won't need a Visa or air travel? Eeeeeexcellent! lol

I loved the sound of "blondie" when I heard them, then progressed into punk bands like black flag, Jodie fosters army, dead Kennedys, etc., and from there got into mellow new wave bands like "The Cure", "REM", "The Smiths", "Morrissey", etc. 

These days I'm into alternative, blues, and classic rock...

Blondie!

One of my earlier memories was of the Heart of Glass video. I thought Debbie was the coolest (still do) and I'm pretty sure that might have been the first time I thought "You know, I want to be just like her"!

Some great other bands you've listed too..... Disintegration and The Queen is Dead are two of my favourite albums of all time.... They came to me via the Depeche Mode vein of exploration I mentioned in one of my posts above.

I really need to stop hijacking this thread, but I'm hopped up on caffeine and I get a little overexcited when talking about music! lol

[Devlyn]

And who influenced our influences? How do you like that sound, Jill?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9zMOxVj2Ec&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[Jill F]

I could listen to Bon Scott all day long and never tire of it.  One of these days I'll find the old footage of me performing the lead vocal of "Big Balls".  I love irony...

[Devlyn]

...some balls are held for charity and some for fancy dress,
but when they're held for pleasure they're the balls that I like best.....

[Jill F]

...some balls are held for charity and some for fancy dress,
but when they're held for pleasure they're the balls that I like best.....

Unfortunately mine ended up unceremoniously chucked in a biowaste bin.  Too bad, it would have been kinda badass to have them brassed and hang them from my bar.   How's that for a bartifact concept?

[Devlyn]

Unfortunately mine ended up unceremoniously chucked in a biowaste bin.  Too bad, it would have been kinda badass to have them brassed and hang them from my bar.   How's that for a bartifact concept?

It's a shame when people be throwing away a perfectly good white boys balls.

http://www.inquisitr.com/1427091/hard-on-cash-donate-a-testicle-and-walk-away-with-35000/

[Miss_Bungle1991]

  ACK!

Enough of this friggin Acca Dacca!! (Even though I started it.  )

Time to bust out the grind!



The next to last track on the cassette, (It WAS the end of 1990, after all), that blew my musical world apart.